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OPINION

Editorial: Cash-strapped city doesn’t have the time either to spend on long Mud Island...

The city spent $63 million in 1982 ($158,522,074 in 2016 dollars) to build a blockbuster Mississippi River theme park on the south end of Mud Island.

After the newness wore off, the park has suffered a slow decline as the city of Memphis and now the Riverfront Development Corporation, a nonprofit agency that manages the park and the riverfront for the city, have been trying to steer the park back to being an important part of Downtown.

There was hope of that happening sooner rather than later when the RDC solicited proposals to redevelop the park, which needs millions of dollars in deferred maintenance — money the RDC does not have and money the city is unwilling to spend.

The RDC narrowed the proposals down to two, but Bass Pro Shops at The Pyramid officials have asked Mayor Jim Strickland to take a 'slow, methodical approach' to the redevelopment. While we salute Bass Pro for working with the city to convert The Pyramid arena into a successful tourist attraction, we cannot forget that it took years for the company to decide to come.

Unless the company proffers solid plans for redeveloping the park into something that meshes with its retail store while also being compatible with redevelopment plans for the Pinch district, the city and RDC need to move forward.

The last thing the RDC and city need is for inertia, especially on the part of Mayor Strickland, to take hold of the park's redevelopment. We have said here before that the best outcome for Mud Island is a public-private partnership.

Andy Cates, who runs Downtown-based RVC Outdoors, has proposed a redevelopment plan with an initial private investment estimated at $10 million. His plan calls for a redeveloped amphitheater, riverside amenities, a water park, and high-end cottages and climate-controlled tents that could be rented.

The other potential redeveloper — Branson, Missouri-based company The Mansion Entertainment and Media — is just interested in redeveloping the island's amphitheater.

Cates did not mince words when he told The Commercial Appeal's Ryan Poe last week that his project already effectively has stalled due to a 'lack of leadership' from the city and renewed interest from Bass Pro in redeveloping the island park as a 'casino-motel,' Margaritaville-style country music venue.

Two City Council members who attended a meeting Thursday with Strickland about Mud Island said Bass Pro officials did not discuss any future development plans.

Maybe Cates' idea would be the best thing for Mud Island, or maybe not. That is for the RDC, Strickland and the City Council determine. That determination should not take years.

As mayor, Strickland needs to take the lead in expediting the process. We do not expect him to read the proposals word for word, but he can light a fire under everyone else to make sure there is no foot-dragging on getting this done, especially since he insists the city does not have the funds to invest in the park.

Meanwhile, the RDC is spending more than $1 million a year on a facility that continues to deteriorate. That is like pouring money into the Mississippi River. It is also why the best option for redevelopment lies in a public-private partnership.

Strickland says his administration is going to be brilliant at the basics. There are times, though, when a mayor has to be more than a chief executive who makes sure streets are paved and trash is efficiently collected.

Mud Island is too valuable a public asset to continue to deteriorate while Bass Pro officials try to make up their minds whether they want to redevelop it. Strickland needs to make that clear as soon as possible.

Read or Share this story: https://www.commercialappeal.com/story/opinion/editorials/2016/05/16/editorial-cashstrapped-city-doesnt-have-the-time-either-to-spend-on-long-mud-island-process/90533088/